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SALT LAKE CITY -- Another big winter storm packed a punch across the Wasatch Front Sunday, bringing the kinds of conditions many drivers find difficult to handle.
Slow it down and give yourself plenty of stopping distance in these types of conditions.
–Sgt. Martin Turner
Many motorists took to the road and soon found themselves on the side of it. The Utah Highway Patrol reported more than 300 slide-offs and crashes in 11 counties across the state. Of the 359 crashes reported, 57 involved injuries, 239 caused vehicle damage and 63 were slide-offs.
The majority of crashes took place in Salt Lake County, where 40 resulted in injuries, 179 damaged vehicles and 22 were slide-offs.
Many of the problems occurred on major roads like Interstate 15, Interstate 80 and Interstate 215. Troopers say it's important to drive defensively on days like this one.
Related:
Single mother of 3 killed in I-15 crash
Bad weather created terrible driving conditions Sunday, setting the stage for a tragic accident that left three young boys without a mother. Though there were dozens of accidents along the Wasatch Front, the one people will remember took place on Interstate 15 in Riverdale."Slow it down and give yourself plenty of stopping distance in these types of conditions," said Sgt. Martin Turner with UHP. "Everyone is traveling too fast. They're losing control on the roadway where the ice has built up. They're losing control on the structures which are icy."
One example of an unlucky slide with a lucky outcome occurred when a Toyota pickup ended up in Big Cottonwood Creek.
"There were no injuries and that's sometimes quite rare for this kind of accident in this spot," said Officer Lenny Bruno with the Unified Police Department.
The ski resorts definitely aren't complaining about the new snow. They had most of their lifts operating for Thanksgiving and now the storm is delivering several inches of fresh snow.
Skier Colton Chamberlain said, "It's my first day and it's really fun. It's really deep and good."
The cold didn't deter many people from hitting the slopes. "I got all the gear, so I should be good," said skier Whitney Starks.
Michael Agricola agreed. "It's great, it's wonderful," he said. "I can't complain about the start of this season at all."
Some people we talked to said it was a bit ironic that this storm delivered the kind of snow and problems on the road we expected to get from the big blizzard last week.
E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com
